The disclosure is directed to field-installable optical fiber connectors and related fiber optic cable assemblies. More specifically, the disclosure is directed to field-installable fiber optic connectors suitable for use with consumer electronics and related fiber optic cable assemblies.
Optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of applications, including but not limited to broadband voice, video, and data transmission. As consumer devices are steadily using more bandwidth, connectors for these devices will likely move away from electrical connectors and toward using optical connections for increased bandwidth. Generally speaking, conventional fiber optic connectors used for telecommunication networks and the like are not suitable for consumer devices. For instance, conventional fiber optic connectors are relatively large compared with the consumer devices and their interfaces. Additionally, conventional fiber optic connectors are deployed with great care into relatively clean environments and/or cleaned by the craft before connecting the same. Further, even though fiber optic connectors are reconfigurable (i.e., suitable for mating/unmating) they are not intended for a relatively large number of mating cycles. Instead, conventional fiber optic connectors are high precision connectors designed for reducing insertion loss between mating connectors in the optical network.
On the other hand, the consumer electronic devices are expected to have a relatively large number of mating/unmating cycles during ordinary operation. The consumer electronic devices will be operated in a multitude of environments where dirt, dust, and other debris is encountered on a regular basis. Further, consumer electronic devices typically have size and space constraints for making connections. Consequently, there is an unresolved need for fiber optic connectors suitable for consumer devices.